


Twitch and Bark

by kryptonianmenace



Series: Tourette's [3]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Child Abuse, Gen, Tourette's Syndrome, tics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kryptonianmenace/pseuds/kryptonianmenace
Summary: Since Carlos could remember, he’s made these noises and movements that he has no control over. The squawks, the twitches, the flailing limbs, thebarks.AU where Carlos has Tourette's.
Series: Tourette's [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851046
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66
Collections: All Your Faves Are Neurodivergent And/Or Disabled





	Twitch and Bark

“Trying to be a puppy, again?” Cruella asks, and the mirth in her voice lets Carlos know she’s in one of her rare better moods.

He lets slip another unintentional barking noise, same as the one that prompted the question, face flushed with frustration. He’s tried explaining - to her, to anyone who would listen, really - that he doesn’t control his sounds and movements sometimes, but no one ever believed him.

“Yes, mama,” he says, because he knows she always hates when he denies barking on purpose, and he doesn’t want to ruin her good mood.

“What a silly boy,” she says, reaching out to him. 

He gets up from where he was doing his chores because it’s clear that’s what she wants, twitching his head as he goes.

She tsks at him as he does, squeezing his arm. “What have I told you about that twitch of yours?”

“Sorry, mama,” he says curling up at her feet like she likes when she’s in a good mood. “I know it’s annoying. I’ll try harder.”

She doesn’t say anything, just hums around her cigarette, and pets his hair. They stay like that until she goes to bed and he breathes a sigh of relief.

* * *

The next day he isn’t so lucky.

He thinks he sounds more like a bird today, the noises that he makes, but Cruella calls them all barks. They set her off, not amusing her like they sometimes do.

She grabs him by the ear and it hurts when his head twitches involuntarily.

“Don’t pull away from me,” she snaps, yanking hard.

“Sorry, sorry,” he stammers.

“Stop that incessant barking or you’ll go without dinner, understand?” she says, and Carlos’ stomach drops. Another night without dinner, he predicts.

“I understand,” he says, backing up meekly as she releases him.

“Get back to your chores,” she says, and he rushes to.

* * *

Since Carlos could remember, he’s made these noises and movements that he has no control over. The squawks, the twitches, the flailing limbs, the  _ barks. _

Since Carlos could remember, he’s known his mother’s plan: if he wanted to be a puppy so badly, she would skin him like one. But only after he was fully grown - she had to make sure there was enough skin to use, and it would be a waste to kill him before then.

Carlos has known this, but it still hurts, and it still comes as a shock to him when she starts physically hurting him.

* * *

It’s minor smacks and scratches up until this night.

Tonight, Horace and Jasper hold him down as Cruella fiddles with her cigarettes and lighter.

“Now, there are rules,” she says, and Carlos stares fearfully up at her.

She raises her eyebrow and urges him to speak with just a look.

“Yes, mama,” he says hastily.

“I have lost track of the times I’ve told you to stop that twitching of yours, and yet you continue to disobey me,” she says.

“I’m trying, mama, I swear,” he stammers out, but she holds up her hand to stop him from continuing.

“Every time you twitch, you will be punished,” she says, lighting a cigarette and bringing it to her mouth. “If you’re good, you’ll never know what that punishment is. Can you do it?”

Carlos feels tears prick at his eyes, he  _ knows _ he’ll be learning what the punishment is as soon as his body betrays him. “Please, mama.”

Cruella rolls her eyes, tapping her fingers on her half-crossed arms.

He lasts less than five minutes before he lets out a twitch and a noise, Cruella sighing in exasperation.

And then his skin  _ burns. _

Carlos cries out as the lit cigarette digs into his arm.

Cruella backhands him for the noise and pulls the cigarette back after a few seconds.

Tears building in his eyes, Carlos tries not to sob. The next twitch happens soon after, and the pain is a repeat, enough to cause the tears to fall.

Cruella stops after fifty-seven marks across his arms and torso, leaving him alone as she rants to herself about having a disobedient son.

The second Horace and Jasper release him, Carlos curls into himself, gingerly making his way to the closet he sleeps in.

* * *

School isn’t so bad, except for the fact that everyone knows about his noises and movements, and that makes him a target. He’s noisier when he’s anxious, and nothing made him anxious like being chased by people looking to put him in his place. He’s also terrible at hiding, always letting out a sound that gave him away.

He’s beaten black and blue nearly everyday, but he prefers it to home. Bruises were better than burns, in his opinion, and he wanted to learn what he could at school.

The teachers mostly ignore his quirks, too uncaring to bother with a student they viewed as weak. The only exception was Yen Sid, who looked at Carlos with sad eyes every time he twitched.

* * *

Evie is startled when he barks at her, and his heart aches because she was the first person in a long time who didn’t seem as though she would kick him down, and he just gave her a reason to.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I-- Uh, I do that sometimes,” he says, looking down at the sketch of his latest project.

“Why?” she asks.

He just shrugs. “It just happens.” He’s given up at this point, he hadn’t tried to explain he couldn’t stop it in years.

Evie hums thoughtfully, before smiling. “Alright,” she says cheerfully.

He cautiously looks up at her and she’s still smiling at him. Hesitantly, he smiles back.

* * *

Carlos is  _ terrified _ of Mal and Jay, though they’re two that typically leave him alone because he’s  _ too _ easy a target. They want a challenge, and picking on the guy who can’t hide is only so fun for as long as he can run.

But then Mal makes him throw the howler and everything changes. He and Evie team up with them to get Maleficent’s scepter, and from there, they’re in the gang.

* * *

“Why do you bark like that?” Mal asks, and Carlos tenses. They’re in their hideout, Jay and Evie listening in from where Evie is painting Jay’s nails with her homemade nail polish.

“I just… do,” he says. “I can’t help it.”

“What does that mean, though?” Mal asks, frustration leaking into her tone.

Carlos hunches in on himself. “I don’t-- I don’t know why, it just happens.”

“Wait, you mean you can’t control it?” Jay asks, and Carlos’ eyes snap to him.

“Yeah, I don’t know why it happens but it does and I can’t stop it. Believe me, I’ve tried,” he says.

“Were you cursed?” Evie asks, recapping the bottle on the nail polish.

“Magic doesn’t work on the Isle, remember?” Jay says, nudging her foot with his.

“It’s always been like this,” Carlos says with a shrug. “About as long as my mom’s been saying she’s gonna skin me.”

The other’s eyes darken at the reminder of the threat hanging over Carlos’ head.

* * *

The day Maleficent tells them of their summons to Auradon is an ordinary day up until that point. From there, Carlos thinks it’s going to do his head in with the craziness.

And maybe it does get to him a little bit, because as his mother is arguing for him to stay (“Who would want a twitchy, noisy little runt like Carlos? Better he stay here and take care of his chores”) and starting to even convince Maleficent, he does the unthinkable - he argues.

Not in a harsh way, not even in a way that looks like he’s actually standing up for himself, but he appeals to Maleficent’s conniving nature to get her to overrule his mother. “I could be the distraction, the misbehaving one to make Mal and the others look better in comparison. The Auradon teachers will hate me and love them, making it easier for them to get the wand,” he says quietly, just enough to be heard.

Maleficent snaps her fingers and points at him. “Finally, someone is thinking clearly. You always told me the runt was useless, de Vil, it seems you were wrong.”

Carlos hates that a sense of pride swells in his chest at the words, but he so rarely heard praise, and coming from Maleficent? That was something he never even dreamed of. He meets Mal’s eyes as he hears his mother continue to protest. Eventually Cruella gives in and agrees to let him go.

* * *

A week later and it’s the day they’re set to leave. They’re all gathered in Bargain Castle, Maleficent having gone over the plan again.

Carlos clutches his garbage bag of belongings to his chest as Cruella beckons him to stand in front of her.

“Now, remember, you’re only going because the Auradon people are going to hate you,” she hisses at him.

Looking at the floor, Carlos nods. “I know, mama.”

“You’re useless otherwise, and you’re lucky I’m allowing this,” she says.

“Yes, mama. Thank you for letting me go,” he says, flinching as she puts a hand in his hair and pets.

“But I know you’ll be back soon, and mama will have her puppy back. Those Auradon snobs will be sick of your distractions within the week. Do try to hold out until the others get the wand, won’t you?” she says.

Carlos nods, not trying to move away from the hand in his hair. “Yes, mama.”

Cruella smirks and releases him, ushering him out the door.

* * *

Their welcome to Auradon Prep is torture for Carlos, who is desperately trying to hold back his sounds and movements. He knows they’re the only reason his mother let him go, but he has no intention of actually letting them slip now that he’s in Auradon.

His arm spasms as he shakes Ben’s hand and he mumbles out an apology for shaking Ben’s arm so hard. Ben looks at him curiously before moving on to continue his speech.

Carlos barely pays attention to the speech and the following tour, too caught up on trying to hold back the bark he can feel.

He’s almost home free, Doug having just dropped him and Jay off at their room, when the bark slips out. Doug looks startled and Carlos flushes, running to the bathroom in embarrassment.

Through the door, he hears a muffled excuse for his behavior from Jay and breathes a sigh of relief. Jay is the better liar, and he knows to cover for Carlos’ behavior.

* * *

Class is hell. He can’t hold anything back in his first class and by the third period, everyone is talking about the de Vil boy who barks in class.

His second to last class is Literature with Mr. Fletcher, and the day goes from bad to worse. Carlos is so nervous about barking again that his body starts moving, acting up in response.

No one seems to notice as he full body twitches, but in the final twenty minutes of class, he slams his head against the desk,  _ hard. _

Mr. Fletcher tries to ask if he’s alright, but Carlos is already bolting for the door, his schoolwork abandoned as he tries to avoid everyone’s horrified gaze.

* * *

Mr. Deley pulls him aside after a week of classes, and Carlos is buzzing with nerves. He knows the teacher had given Evie a hard time, and he can only imagine how the man would react to Carlos, who twitched like crazy in his class.

“Mr. de Vil, I noticed you seemed to be having trouble with your…” Mr. Deley trails off, unsure how to phrase it.

“Twitching?” Carlos says quietly, avoiding eye contact.

“If that’s what you would prefer to call it,” Mr. Deley says. “I wanted to ask you, would it be alright if I recommended to Fairy Godmother that you see a doctor for it, seeing as she is your legal guardian while you are here?”

Carlos tenses. “Why would I need to see a doctor for it?”

“I have reason to believe it is a medical condition that causes it, and seeing a doctor would help you better to treat it.”

Carlos is silent for a long while. “Okay, it couldn’t hurt.”

Mr. Deley nods in acknowledgement. “Very well. Though, I will warn you, the doctor I have in mind, you may not want to see.”

“Why?”

* * *

Carlos bursts into Mal and Evie’s room, eyes frantic.

“Mr. Deley wants me to meet Anita Radcliffe,” he says, eyes wild with fright.

“What?” Mal asks, abandoning her homework to come closer to him. “Why?”

“He said I should see a doctor for my twitching, and he said she specializes in cases like me,” Carlos says, clinging to her hands with his own. 

Evie joins them, eyes narrowed and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Why would you need to see a doctor? And why her?”

Carlos struggles to get the words out and both girls try to get him to settle down.

“He thinks it’s a medical condition. He did say that he could ask Fairy Godmother to find someone else who was specialized in it, but apparently Anita’s the best in her field. They’re friends, apparently, so he knows what to look out for in students, is what he said,” Carlos finally gets out, stuttering a bit throughout it.

Mal is silent for a bit as she takes it all in, Evie looking to her for her opinion.

“Mal? What do you think?” Evie asks.

“I think that it couldn’t hurt to see a doctor, though it’s up to you whether you see Anita or not,” she says. “One of us could come with you, if you like.”

* * *

He ends up seeing Anita, because he doesn’t want the faculty to think he’s a coward, too afraid to meet the hero of his mother’s story.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Carlos,” Anita says once she enters the room. “And you, too, Evie,” she adds to the girl seated in the corner.

Carlos is on the patient table, where the nurse directed him to sit before she left. He feels exposed and put on the spot, so he only mumbles a greeting, though Evie gives a winning smile and cheerful “Hello.”

“Before we get started, I wanted to let you both know I have Tourette Syndrome. It can be startling if you don’t know what it is, so I wanted to warn you ahead of time. Tourette’s means I can’t control my movements or vocal chords, and it can be rather off-putting,” Anita says with a soft smile as she sits down in the remaining chair, her head twitching as she does so.

Carlos freezes, shock on his face. “You… You do that, too?” he asks.

Anita gives him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“The movements and sounds, you can’t control them either?” he asks, and for once in his life, his body is behaving so he can’t demonstrate.

Anita’s eyes widen. “I see, this must be why your professors asked if I could meet with you. Yes, Carlos, I can’t control them. I take it you can’t, either?”

Nodding quickly, he straightens up. “Yes, I swear. Only Mal, Evie, and Jay believe me but I’m not doing it on purpose.”

“For how long?” Anita asks.

Carlos lets out a small bark and Anita remains unfazed. “For as long as I can remember, since I was little.”

Anita nods. “Yes, that sounds like Tourette’s.”

“You mean it’s a real thing people can have?” Evie asks. “It’s not just Carlos?”

Anita’s head twitches and she lets out a small sound of her own, which Carlos involuntarily mimics. “I’m living proof of it,” she says.

“It’s not just me,” Carlos whispers, and Anita’s heart nearly breaks at the hope on his face, because she remembers the fear of not knowing. She’s glad she could only bolster that hope, she never wanted it taken away. Evie has reached out a hand to squeeze Carlos’ knee and he turns to smile at his friend.

“Now, I do have to warn you, as we don’t know the cause of it, there’s no cure, not even a magical one,” Anita says, both teens snapping their attention back to her. “We sometimes prescribe medication, but it’s not going to stop the symptoms, or as they’re called, tics, but they may help lessen them. I, myself, choose not to use medication, but that’s a personal choice. It’s up to you whether you want to go on medication.”

“Are there any side effects?” Carlos asks.

“Each medication will have it’s own side effects. The one I have in mind if you do decide to go that route is mainly drowsiness, so it’s best to take it at night. I can also go into more detail of lesser side effects,” Anita says.

Carlos nods.

* * *

Carlos decides to wait until his next visit to decide whether he wants medication.

He’s buzzing with excitement when he and Evie return, and Mal and Jay crowd into his space with concerned hope.

“I have Tourette’s!” he exclaims. “There’s-- There’s a  _ word _ for it! The symptoms are called tics and-- And Anita has it, too-- I’m not alone. Guys, it’s not just  _ me.” _

Jay wraps him in a hug and picks him up, swinging him like a rag doll as they both laugh.

“That’s awesome,” Mal says, grinning at his happiness.

“I don’t-- I don’t know how to talk about it,” Carlos says. “It’s just so-- So unthinkable. There are others like me. It’s okay that I do these things.”

“Of course it’s okay,” Jay says. “If anyone says otherwise, they have us to deal with.”

Carlos laughs. “Guys, I’m not alone.”

The others pull him into a group hug and smile when he lets out a soft bark.

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself cry when I thought up this AU lmao  
> [Check out my tumblr!](https://haljordanisbatman.tumblr.com)


End file.
